Ch. 1: Basic Concepts Flashcards
2-D Model of the Earth
Map
Relationship to the feature’s size rather than actual size
Scale
Shows a small portion of Earth with lots of detail
Large-scale map
Shows the entire globe with little detail
Small-scale map
Transferring a globe to a flat map
Projection
Advantages:
- distorted very little
- the map is rectangular
- distance stays the same
Disadvantages:
- size is distorted near the poles
Mercator Projection
Advantages:
- useful for displaying info.
Disadvantages:
- areas are smaller than they actually are
- allocate space to the ocean
Robinson Projection
0 degrees latitude
Equator
0 degrees longitude
Prime Meridian
180 degrees longitude
International Date Line
Collect data by orbiting the Earth and collecting images
Remote sensing
Used for:
- navigation
- precise location
- contribute to the production of maps
Global Positioning System (GPS)
to store “layers” of data
GIS - Geographic Information System
Overlaying of layers from multiple sources
Mashup
Name given to a place on Earth
toponym
physical characteristics of a place (e.g. climate, water sources, elevation..)
Site
Locations of a place relative to other places
- familiar places may be used to describe unfamiliar places
Situation
An area of Earth defined by one or more distinctive characteristics
Region
Shares a common human characteristic or physical characteristic (e.g. states like Texas ad Oklahoma or Amazon Rainforest b/c common vegetation)
Formal region
Organized by a focal point (e.g. TV Station’s reception area or a school district)
Functional Region
Exists because of beliefs and cultural identity (e.g. the South of the U.S. because they are known to be the Bible Belt)
Vernacular/Perceptual Region
A force that involves the entire world, which results in making something worldwide
Globalization
The physical gap or interval between two objects
Space
The arrangement of a feature in space
Distribution
The process by which a characteristic spreads across space
Diffusion
Spread of an idea through physical movement (e.g. language)
Relocation Diffusion
Spread of an idea through people, power, or authority to another person or place (e.g. social media trends or clothing trends)
Hierarchical Diffusion
The rapid spread of characteristics through a population (e.g. diseases, viral post)
Contagious Diffusion
Spread of an underlying principle even though a characteristic fails to diffuse (e.g. features of Apple’s iPhone, McDonald’s in India)
Stimulus Diffusion
As the distance between people increases, the communication between them decreases
distance-decay
The reduction of time it takes to get to one place to another
time-space compression
3 core hearths regions
- North America
- Europe
- Japan
Why is there an increasing economic gap
Some countries do not have the wealth of the hearths and some are developing
Use of resources to ensure the ability to it
Sustainability
3 Pillars of Sustainability
- Environment
- Economy
- Society
- Use of Earth’s resources to meet human needs (conversation)
- Maintainance of resources (preservation)
Environment Pillar
- Low supply and high demand = low price
- High supply and low demand = high price
Economy Pillar
- Use of resources to meet needs
- Consumer choices can support sustainability
Society Pillar
Geographical study of the relationships b/w humans and its environment
Cultural Ecology
Physical environment caused social development or influenced others
Environmental determinism
The physical environment sometimes limits human actions, but humans still adjust to the environment
Possiblism
Piece of land that is created by draining water from that area
Polder
Five Themes of Geography (give examples)
- Movement
- Regions
- Human-Environment Interaction
- Location
- Place
